Virtue Attack Helicopter
"What the hell is that?" :- Last words of most who see a Virtue Attack Helicopter Many historians and engineers have looked at the works of the renowned painter and inventor Leonardo Da Vinci, and been amazed by how prophetic some of his inventions have seemed. Leonardo came up with concepts for helicopters, advanced steam-powered artillery, mechanical calculators, tanks, and even automated robots. However, he lacked the materials to build them in his own time. Without the theoretical knowledge in fields such as aerodynamics, mechanical engineering, and materials science, many of Leonardo's ideas could never have been realised. For example, look at his "Air Screw" helicopter concept. Take the drawings to any aeronautical engineer, and, after a series of aerodynamics and lift calculations, they will tell you that such a device could never have worked. The screw may have generated lift, but in order to make it fly, it would have required someone to turn it who had the strength of twelve men! Or, at least that's the theory that the Order wants to prevail. Back when Leonardo was still alive, the Order (who at this time still had a strong presence in Italy) realised the potential of this talented individual. The Order used their subtle influence with the aristocracy to make sure that Leonardo never got the support he needed to make his ideas take flight (literally). Leonardo was stuck to painting art, and his ideas were never closely scrutinised during his life. Upon his death, the Talon's agents subtly doctored his designs with numerous flaws, making sure that future generations never realised just how much of a genius Leonardo truly was. Instead, they intended to keep the real designs for their fight with the Cult of the Black Hand. In actuality, Leonardo's air screw is a remarkably efficient lift generator. So much so, that with the advent of steam power, the Talon were able to use this concept to create a most unusual helicopter design, and quite possibly the first heavier than air flying machine ever created. Because of its high lift generation, the newly christened Virtue Attack Helicopter was ideal to carry the heavy fuel tanks required for the Order's flame projectors. The design has been used to great success on a number of occasions, particularly during the earlier days of aeronautics, where its unique capabilities surprised the Cult more often than not. On one occasion just prior to the First World War, a fleeing pilot managed to detach the almost emptied fuel tanks in order to improve his get-away speed. The pursuing Cult members, still shooting at the helicopter with bolt action rifles, didn't even notice the large falling fuel tanks until it was too late. The explosion caused by the detonating fuel tanks levelled the small Serbian village where the Cult members had been hiding. The pilot was rewarded for his bravery, and the tactic became standard procedure for retreating Virtue pilots. Behind the Scenes Presumably, this unit takes inspiration from the works of Leonardo Da Vinci.